The fusion of alternative rock with industrial has existed virtually since the styles were first formulated, but for a band to effectively utilize this mix in a manner that appeals to both the mainstream and underground is a rare thing indeed. Along comes Washington, DC’s My Enemy Complete with a six-track EP full of dark electronic textures, passionate songwriting, and blazing rock structures that makes for a delectable helping of musical potency. Featuring former members of two of the local scene’s more revered acts, namely Carlo Pizarro and Brian Fasani of 51 Peg and Bilaal Y of Chrysalis, the sound of My Enemy Complete is at once familiar and forward-thinking as these six tracks resonate with all the power and professionalism of experience merged with the hunger and drive of a fledgling act beckoning for attention from the masses. Beginning with a haunting mechanical soundscape that brings us to layers of squealing guitar melodies and thunderous percussion, “Resistor” begins the EP with a bang. The chorus carries the listener into a powerful emotional height as Bilaal’s voice – reminiscent of Maynard James Keenan – soars with simultaneous despair and rage, while his and Pizarro’s chunky guitars growl with guttural intensity that permeates throughout the band’s music. Hearing this song, one could immediately mistake My Enemy Complete for a late ‘90s alternative metal act, albeit without the rap element so prevalent of that era and with a healthy dose of gritty electronic backdrops for added depth. Also adding to the dynamic mix is Fasani’s drumming, combining quintessential industrial loops with the fury of his live percussive assaults, which in tandem with the grungy guitars makes for a very devastating sound. “Rite of Passage” continues this trend with atonal verses atop an almost psychedelic wall of guitars and ambience that will remind listeners of The Tea Party if filtered through the caustic mechanisms of Chemlab, while “A Thousand Cuts” brings in a melancholy piano that in tandem with crystalline guitars and Bilaal’s soulful voice give the song a lush aura not dissimilar to the bleakest dark pop songs of the ‘80s. Marching drums, stark atmospheres, and samples on mental states of loneliness begin “The Cord,” already starting the song on an epic note, aided by some of the most soul-penetrating melodies present on the album and the occasional dropouts into pure shimmering guitar and synthesized ambience. If anything negative can be said about the band, it is perhaps in the simplicity of the song structures as each track treads along similar progressions of verses and choruses, all even beginning with appropriately decrepit intros that serve to enhance the ambience and leading into the dense production of guitars, drums, vocals, and synthesis; it all bears just a smidgen of the formulaic but thankfully flows without too much tedium. With production by Dennis Kapayos and released on local label Radio.Active.Music, My Enemy Complete’s music possesses all the elements to break out of the confines of the DC-based underground and achieve mass appeal.

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